MIAMI • LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said on Wednesday he will step down from the job later this year after an 11-year reign helming women’s golf.
The American said in an open letter he would quit the position sometime this year, but did not give a firm timetable for his departure.
“I know that news may come as a bit of a shock, but trust me when I say it follows many, many months of deep introspection,” Whan, who turns 56 next month, wrote in the letter.
He is the longest-serving commissioner in the history of the LPGA, and only the eighth person to hold the job.
He is widely credited with strengthening the LPGA Tour since taking over, increasing the number of tournaments on the circuit (it had 24 events when he took over in 2009) and boosting overall prize money by more than US$25 million (S$33 million).
Despite a tumultuous 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic decimated the schedule, the Tour recently confirmed a 34-event season for 2021 with a record US$76.4 million in prize money.
“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up,” Whan wrote.
“Even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has never been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world.
“The LPGA is poised for even greater heights, and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.”
His decision was lamented many players. Hall of Famer Juli Inkster said: “Mike ran the Tour like a business, but he also ran it with compassion. I think the LPGA was very close to folding, and he brought it back to life and now it’s thriving.”
Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s player president, said Whan had been the “right leader at the right time”.
“He rebuilt the Tour and then reimagined its future by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA,” she added.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE